Prison gerrymandering gives extra political power to legislators who have prisons in their districts. We put numbers on the problem and sparked a movement to protect our democratic process from the overgrown prison system.

Can you help us continue the fight? All gifts made this year will be automatically matched by other donors. Thank you.

Much of the action is likely to take place in rural counties and cities that contain large prisons, because a single large prison can be a large part if not the majority of a district. There, campaigns tend to form quickly and achieve victory even more quickly.

Elected officials and members of organizations should also consider passing resolutions calling on the Census Bureau to change how incarcerated people are counted. And in addition to formal resolutions, organizations and individuals should respond to the Census Bureaus' calls for comments on the residence rules, for a sample of these letters sent in 2016, see our 2016 Federal Register Notice page. A change at the Census Bureau is the best and most efficient solution.